Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Some people have claimed that the recent drop in violent deaths in Iraq has much to do with "The Surge." Others have opined that the drop is likely the result of that internal Sunni movement against al Qaeda called "The Awakening." Still more have speculated that Moqtada al Sadr's militia has taken some time off to regroup and this is at least partly responsible for reduced sectarian violence inside Baghdad.

An entirely different theory entered the debate Monday, at least one that I hadn't heard before. From TheHill.com:

If violence is decreasing in Iraq, it may be because insurgents “are running out of people to kill,” House Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.) said Monday.

“There are fewer targets of opportunity,” Obey said in a speech to the National Press Club.

Obey was responding to a question about reports touted by Republicans that security is improving in Iraq and that President Bush’s “surge” strategy is working. He stressed that military success has not led to political reconciliation.

Apparently most of the civilians in Iraq are already dead.

I hope the Republicans are able to identify this guy's seat as a target of opportunity in the next election. Presenting this sort of crap as an argument is beyond dumb.